


cola with the burnt-out taste

by foryoo



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Best Friends, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-11-02 02:20:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17879252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foryoo/pseuds/foryoo
Summary: in their noisy, busy lives, times like these are rare. times when they can sit down and embrace the tranquility of this moment. times when they allow seconds to tick by slowly. times when they can unwind after working their butts off the entire year. times when she can laugh, reminisce, and drink fizzy soda with her best friend.





	cola with the burnt-out taste

**Author's Note:**

> i tried writing a platonic fic inspired by lorde's song, buzzcut season.

_favorite friend, i live in a hologram with you_  
  


 

the last time nayeon came to this park with jeongyeon, the latter was still five inches shorter than her. it feels like each time she meets up with her after long periods of not seeing each other's faces, jeongyeon looms over her more and more.   
  
not much has changed, in terms of the park.

nayeon feels a sudden wave of nostalgia in the pleasantly mellow evening. the air is refreshing, and if she listens carefully, there's a buzzing of crickets and fluttering of wings in the distance. nayeon lifts her head towards the sky, admiring the beautiful chaos of orange, purple, and magenta blooming above. for some reason, they remind her of her best friend. intense and fascinating all the same.  
  
as she swings her legs back and forth under the bench, she unlocks her phone to text jeongyeon for the third time. 

truth be told, jeongyeon’s probably the worst texter she has ever known. she should be here by now.   
  
as if on cue, her ears perk up to the crunching of grass behind her.  
  
"who are you texting?"  
  
nayeon could pick out her voice in a massive crowd of people any day. jeongyeon taps the back of nayeon’s head with a soda can, before situating it in front of her face.

jeongyeon remembers nayeon’s favourite soda.

nayeon clutches it with two hands, turning around.  
  
"jeong," she breathes in delight.

the sun is glaring right over jeongyeon’s shoulder, casting a sickly orange over her face, but nayeon can still see the little glint of joy in her eyes.

_‘how long has it been?’_ nayeon thinks. a few months since they’ve last met up? jeongyeon’s attire is lazy as always, and that trademark grin has only gotten cheekier. the same grin that stayed by her side and got her through elementary school and junior high.  
  
jeongyeon lowers herself onto the bench, her firm yet warm presence enveloping the space. she smells like sunlight, jasmine, and a bit of sweat. it's all familiar, and nayeon asks herself the same question every time: did she just run a marathon before coming here? how come she still smells so good?  
  
there's a gap of space between them two. it's always been like that, and yet they don't mind.   
  
jeongyeon leans back and sighs, pressing her palms into her thighs.

it's quiet for a bit.

nayeon takes time to breathe in the faint hum of summer.

jeongyeon gazes up at the sky, then brings her eyes down to nayeon.   
  
"so. what's new?"  
  
there's excitement and genuine curiosity in her voice.   
  
nayeon picks at the soda tab before popping it open. jeongyeon is looking at her, waiting for a reply and taking any opportunity to just, _connect_. it's not that she forgets to text nayeon daily, and it's not that nayeon doesn't want to. they parted ways after junior high to carry on with her academics — all the while doing schoolwork, finding jobs, and fulfilling responsibilities.  
  
but even so, the two of them remained inseparable like a turtle and its shell. making time to catch up on each other's lives like right now may be difficult, but all the more meaningful.  
  
nayeon gulps down the drink, only to grimace as the lukewarm soda slid down her throat. it tastes like burnt cola, saturated with heat and the outdoors.  _gross._  
  
"ah," jeongyeon notices, smiling a little. "i forgot to warnyou, it got a little warm on the way here."   
  
"good observation," nayeon says, setting it down. "but what's new? remember that one time i told you i'd get my grades up before the end of the semester?"  
  
"yeah," jeongyeon replies, unsure.  
  
"that never happened." nayeon laughs.  
  
"so i stayed up tutoring you over text for  _nothing_?" jeongyeon exclaims dramatically.

nayeon is grateful for jeongyeon’s natural way of talking — it's like the two of them still sees each other every day.

jeongyeon almost falls over when nayeon shoves her, but she's laughing, her voice is clear-cut in the vacant park.   
  
"well, it wasn't for  _nothing,_ probably."  
  
"you didn’t change at all, did you?"  
  
"neither did you!"  
  
jeongyeon shrugs in half-agreement. she’s only teasing, but in her own odd way, she's encouraging nayeon to work harder as well.   
  
the atmosphere dies down. slowly, comfortably.   
  
"...on the bright side, we did win that competition." nayeon says, and jeongyeon grins. her eyes crinkle and a proud snicker leaves her lips. she nudges nayeon’s arm with two fingers.  
  
"i knew you could do it."  
  
the distance left on the bench between nayeon and jeongyeon has gotten smaller.

nayeon grins like a child, feeling her ego swell and her heart bloom — feeling good to have someone acknowledge her efforts.  
  
"and what about you? what's new?" she asks, looking over to jeongyeon.   
  
jeongyeon blinks blankly. "i uh, managed to get eight hours of rest?"   
  
"how's that injury?"  
  
a breeze sifts through and weaves into her short sun-kissed hair. her eyes drop and she looks ahead — her grin has pulled into a thin smile.   
  
"it's alright." her response is vague. but to nayeon, jeongyeon is like an open book trying too hard to close. when she had known someone like jeongyeon since childhood, it's easy to dissect her words and facade. nayeon has done it plenty of times.  
  
"you really didn’t change at all." nayeon smiles, shaking her head. "don't push yourself, okay? pinky promise?"  
  
honey eyes widen the slightest at her words. jeongyeon pauses, then she snorts. still, jeongyeon reciprocates and laces her pinky finger with nayeon’s.

nayeon didn't say much, yet jeongyeon feels a little lighter, a little more at ease. maybe it's because those words came from nayeon.  
  
"i still have a lot to work on if i really want to be an idol." jeongyeon says fondly, holding the nape of her neck.  
  
"keep me updated on everything, recovery included."  
  
"will do."  
  
there's another comfortable silence as the two of them take in the peaceful scenery.   
  
across from them are the feathery green hills she used to play catch on with jeongyeon as a kid. one time, when they were little, nayeon threw the ball too hard and it rolled down the slope. she chased after it and so did jeongyeon, but they ended up tumbling down the hill together like a tumbleweed. (only as graceful as a hippopotamus.)  
  
there was another time when a cockroach managed to get on top of a picnic table and jeongyeon noticed it. little jeongyeon froze in absolute terror, sweating as its little antennas neared her. nayeon managed to capture it in a plastic cup and tormented jeongyeon all day. it was quite funny, now that nayeon thinks back, how jeongyeon always made her kill them — she would probably still make her kill them now.  
  
"this place really brings back memories, huh." jeongyeon remarks, a low chuckle leaving her lips. "remember that one time you–"  
  
"yeah, no." nayeon cuts her off, an embarrassing memory flashes across her mind.

jeongyeon snickers, eyes gleaming mischievously as if to say, "i think we all remember." 

glancing to her side, nayeon was reminded of her beverage. she raises it up in front of jeongyeon’s face.   
  
"help me finish this, please."  
  
"sorry but warm soda isn't my cup of tea."  
  
"that's because it's not? it's cola."  
  
jeongyeon cackles, throwing her head back because nayeon’s dry humor never fails to amuse her.

her laugh is obnoxious and weirdly endearing at the same time, nayeon thinks.  
  
"i figured you would say that."  
  
jeongyeon takes the soda from her hands (even though it's not her cup of tea) and chugs half of it down, scowling — a loud burp erupting from her throat. jeongyeon would have tried to subdue it if she was with anybody else.  
  
"cute." nayeon deadpans, fanning the burp away with her hand. "what do you want to do now?"  
  
jeongyeon hums in thought, but nayeon already knows the answer.   
  
in their noisy, busy lives, times like these are rare. times when they can sit down and embrace the tranquility of this moment. times when they allow seconds to tick by slowly. times when they can unwind after working their butts off the entire year. times when she can laugh, reminisce, and drink fizzy soda with her best friend.

times when nayeon can pretend like everything is good.   
  
it's a well-deserved break for the both of them. sometimes nayeon forgets that.  
  
jeongyeon lets out a prolonged sigh.  
  
"let's just enjoy the peacefulness while we still can." jeongyeon finally says, voice breezy. she shoots the older girl a sidelong gaze.  
  
nayeon’s lips curl upwards. "i'd like that."   
  
relaxing into each other's presence, the two of them watches the dying sun, and lets themselves be.


End file.
